Foreign Operations & Deployments

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 12 Mar 2015 21:48

Modi has inked a deal with Mauritius viz the Agalegas islands. This pair of islands was in news some time back as well on rumours that India wanted it leased for military deployment.

Though details are sketchy in the public domain, it seems we have the prime minister has achieved it. These are remote islands with barely 300 odd folks.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/art ... aign=cppst

....On Wednesday, as Modi toured Mauritius, officials signed an agreement to upgrade sea and air links on the remote Agalega islands, offering India a foothold in an area hundreds of miles from its coast.

The two sides have been discussing North and South Agalega islands for years but there have been reservations in the about opening up the area to foreign involvement.

India's foreign ministry said in a statement the agreement "provides for setting up and upgradation of infrastructure for improving air and sea connectivity ... which will go a long way in ameliorating the conditions of the inhabitants of this remote island."

The new facilities would also "enhance the capabilities of the Mauritian Defence Forces in safeguarding their interests", suggesting there would be a military spin-off to the development.

The North Agalega island has a rough air strip which would likely be upgraded under the agreement, a former Indian navy pilot said. ...

Navy has already been operating from it ...

http://www.lemauricien.com/article/visi ... ri-agalega

VISIT: The INS Savitri to Agalega

ARTICLE IN THE MAURITIAN | JULY 28, 2012 - 01:00

The ship of the Indian Navy, INS Savitri, left yesterday for Port Louis the Great Peninsula with a stop in Agalega, islands he visited last June 27 The crew will take this opportunity to donate supplies to residents. A delegation of ten people in the Outer Islands Development Corporation is part of the journey.
It was at the request of the Mauritian government that India has deployed the INS Savitri in Mauritian waters to conduct anti-piracy patrols and monitor the Exclusive Economic Zone. The Offshore Patrol Vessel will thus have scoured the waters of Mauritius from 27 June to 30 July.

Couple of more links ...

https://www.academia.edu/7698452/_New_D ... _July_2012

http://pages.intnet.mu/fullspot/Agalega.htm

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 28 Mar 2015 16:47

Time to put them Globemasters to use...

http://m.timesofindia.com/india/New-Del ... 716544.cms

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Indian government is preparing to carry out yet another evacuation from trouble-torn middle-eastern country Yemen. The Centre will soon send two ships to Yemen to evacuate Indians, including Keralites, stranded there. MEA has already set up a 24-hour control room to monitor the situation and respond to queries.

Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj has told Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy, that since all the airports in Yemen are closed, the plan is to bring people to the neighbouring country Djibouti by ships and from there to India in aircraft, a government release said here.

READ ALSO: Pakistan says considering Saudi request for troops for Yemen

Those who cannot be brought by ship would be taken to Saudi Arabia by road and from there to India, Swaraj was quoted as saying in the release.

The Keralites, residing in Yemen, informed the chief minister over phone that the passports and certificates of those working in hospitals have been held back, which is creating problems for their return to home, it said.

Following the information, Chandy has urged the Indian Ambassador at Yemen to immediately intervene in the issue and resolve it.

Yemeni mourners stand on a trailer loaded with coffins of the victims of last week's multiple suicide bombings that targeted Shia Huthi mosques in Sanaa, on March 25, 2015, during a group funeral in the Yemeni capital. (AFP photo)

Chandy also requested that those who are willing to return should contact the Indian Embassy at Yemen, the release added.

According to official sources, Swaraj spoke to India's ambassador in Sanaa, Amrit Lugun, about the evolving situation. Saudi Arabia led a coalition of Gulf Arab states to conduct airstrikes on the Shia Houthis who have overrun Sanaa and believed to be advancing on Aden. Yemen's president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his fellow Sunni loyalists have fled, with reports saying Hadi escaped Aden in a boat. Iran supports the Houthi rebels, which basically means this war is a battle for pre-eminence between Iran and Saudi Arabia in the region

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 30 Mar 2015 20:07

http://zeenews.india.com/news/india/two ... 70084.html

Kochi: India on Monday sent two passenger ships to Djibouti Port to evacuate Indians stranded in conflict-hit Yemen.

"Two passenger ships belonging to Lakshadweep administration left for Djibouti Port from Kochi this morning to evacuate Indians stranded in Yemen," Jijo Thomas, Deputy Secretary, Cochin Port Trust, told PTI.

"A total of 1200 passengers can be accommodated in two ships. It will take at least five to seven days for the ships to reach Djibouti Port," he said.

Doctors and nurses are part of a total of 150-member-crew in these ships to be escorted by Navy in the outer seas. Adequate food, medicine and water have been stored in the ships, he said.

Since MV Kavaratti and MV Corals are domestic ships, there were lot of formalities including customs and immigration and maritime related works had to be completed before their journey to international waters, he said.

All coordination activities are being carried out under the leadership of Cochin Port Trust Chairman Paul Antony, he said.

Thomas said MV Kavaratti was called back on her voyage from Kochi to Lakshadweep yesterday evening to facilitate her journey to international waters. Passengers in the ship were shifted to another vessel to provide them a comfortable trip to Lakshadweep, he said.

The ships started their voyage to Djibouti Port soon after the government decided to evacuate Indian nationals amid the chaotic situation in the Gulf country.

Thomas said though the ships are currently heading towards Djibouti, the port of call would be decided by the Centre in the coming days.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had tweeted yesterday that India was in the process of sending a ship with a capacity of 1,500 passengers.

Meanwhile, some Keralites working in Yemen arrived at the Cochin International Airport this morning.

...

Brilliant move to rope in civilian passenger vessels under naval protection. These will have facilities to host civvies in comfort for long duration.

Corals:

Karavatti:

http://www.drkrishi.com/wp-content/uplo ... eep-15.jpg

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 30 Mar 2015 20:46

http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/india-pl ... men-750016

NEW DELHI: India is firming up plans for possible sea and air evacuation of some 3,500 Indians stuck in war-torn Yemen.
Sources say India wants to evacuate its nationals from the Yemeni port of Al Hodeida. But the plan depends on the security situation on the ground.

Al-Hodaida, on the Red Sea is Yemen's fourth largest city, but like most of the country, is under rebel Shia Houthi control.

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Sources have told NDTV that the plan is to get Indians from the capital Sana'a to Al-Hodeida and then take them by sea or air across the Red Sea to Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, after which they will be flown to India.

Sources say that the first step will be to move an Indian Naval ship to Al-Hodeida. There are always naval ships in the Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy operations, and one of them could be the first to respond to a government order. There is also at least one Indian naval ship further south in the Indian Ocean near Seychelles.

About 2,500 Indians are estimated to be in or near the capital Sana'a. Earlier this week, the Foreign Ministry issued its third advisory this year for Indians to leave the country.

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ ... -djibouti/

Sources told The Indian Express that a “broad plan” discussed at a joint meeting involving representatives of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), defence and other concerned agencies suggested transporting the Indian community to Djibouti through the Gulf of Aden and then flying them to Mumbai.

An option to send the national carrier instead of an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft is also being mulled given the “signal” that a service aircraft landing in the region may send. <facepalm> While Indian Air Force (IAF) as well as Navy have been consulted, neither of the two agencies have yet received any instructions to proceed.

“The challenge in Yemen is that no airstrip is available for landing. Thus, the closest airstrip is Djibouti on the southern side of Gulf of Aden. Indian citizens are thus likely to be brought to Djibouti via Gulf of Aden and then flown to Mumbai,” said a source.

When will GoI start worrying about the signals it sends own citizens? Heard similar rationale in a hijacking of one of SCI's ships by Somalis. When Navy offered to intervene, the MEA stopped them citing the concerns raised by other countries.

arshyam · Post by **arshyam** » 30 Mar 2015 23:57

^^ We didn't worry about signals when sending the IN to evacuate from Libya, Lebanon, etc., so why start now?

Sent INS Mysore to Libya: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Safe_Homecoming
Sent INS Mumbai+Brahmaputra to Lebanon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Sukoon
Sent INS Mysore again to Persian Gulf for the Iraq evacuation: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ ... sian-gulf/

These destroyers were not lone ships, but led the task forces. If anything, they sent a positive signal. I suspect this IE article is just DDM being DDM.

[Added later]
MEA tweets:

Syed Akbaruddin @MEAIndia · 6h 6 hours ago

India deploying naval, air assets in effort to evacuate nationals from Yemen. http://mymea.in/384

Sushma Swaraj @SushmaSwaraj · Mar 29

Yemen - In addition we are sending a ship with a capacity of 1500 passengers.

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 31 Mar 2015 19:29

Finally our fleet going in as anti-piracy escort

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/yeme ... 26553.html

The two Indian warships sent to strife-torn Yemen to evacuate Indians will also provide anti-piracy escort services to the two passenger ships sent to Djibouti Port to bring back stranded nationals, Vice Chief of the Navy P Murugesan said on Tuesday.

Giving details of the evacuation plan, Vice Admiral Murugesan, who today took over as the Vice Chief, said the evacuation is being worked out through the sea and air routes.

"Several agencies like Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Air India are going to participate in this operation," he said speaking to reporters here.

The Navy has dispatched its destroyer INS Mumbai and stealth frigate INS Tarkash for evacuation of Indians besides two passenger ships from Cochin.

"The Indian naval ships will go and evacuate the persons as well as provide anti-piracy escort duties to the various assets deployed for the operation," Murugesan said.

Both Naval ships are capable of carrying people back to India.

While INS Mumbai has a crew of about 350, INS Tarkash has a crew of about 250. All facilities will be extended to the stranded Indians.

....

Rescue package stands as follows

1 x Delhi class destroyer - INS Mumbai
1 x Talwar class frigate - INS Tarkash
1 x Saryu class OPV - INS Sumita
MV Corals
MV Kavaratti
2 x C-17 Prithviraj
2 x A-321

INS Jalashwa is MIA

Sid · Post by **Sid** » 31 Mar 2015 19:47

Aditya G wrote:Finally our fleet going in as anti-piracy escort

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/yeme ... 26553.html

Rescue package stands as follows

1 x Delhi class destroyer - INS Mumbai
1 x Talwar class frigate - INS Tarkash
1 x Saryu class OPV - INS Sumita
MV Corals
MV Kavaratti
2 x C-17 Prithviraj
2 x A-321

INS Jalashwa is MIA

NOC from big brother still pending to use INS Jalashwa in desi interest or maybe rust bucket is under repair

Haven't hear of it taking part in any recent exercises as well.

Money well spent I say.

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 31 Mar 2015 21:57

Updated - "Operation Raahat"

1 x Delhi class destroyer - INS Mumbai [Mumbai]
1 x Talwar class frigate - INS Tarkash [Mumbai]
1 x Saryu class OPV - INS Sumita [Diverted Gulf of Aden]
MV Corals [Kochi]
MV Kavaratti [Kochi]
2 x C-17 Prithviraj [Djibouti]
2 x A320 [Muscat]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/4 ... 050016.ece

....

The evacuation operations were announced after Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj held two meetings to coordinate efforts by different ministries. Ms. Swaraj met with Air Chief Marshall Arup Raha, senior officials from the Navy, Defence Ministry, Ministry of Shipping and Civil Aviation Ministry. In a separate meeting, officials of the External Affairs Ministry met with Ms. Swaraj and decided to send a five-member team, including three diplomats, to Djibouti to help with the process of obtaining air and port clearances, as well as processing travel papers for the India does not have a mission in Djibouti. It is represented by the Indian Ambassador to neighbouring Ethiopia, Sanjay Verma, who will be stationed in Djibouti along with officials from the embassy in Egypt to aid the operations.

Officials told The Hindu that their efforts would be to “facilitate the travel of evacuees directly from Djibouti port and airport to the Indian aircraft as quickly as possible”, as there is limited accommodation in the East African nation with a population of only about 900,000.

The evacuation operations will be funded by the government’s special “community welfare fund” set up in 2009 for approximately six million Indian workers in 17 ‘ECR’ countries where emigration clearance is required.Since January 2015, the government had issued three advisories warning of the deteriorating situation in Yemen, where President Hadi has had to flee the country after rebel groups took over the capital city Sana’a. The danger to the roughly 4,000 Indians remaining there, a majority of whom belong to Kerala including hundreds of nurses, has been aggravated by the airstrikes launched by a Saudi-led coalition of 10 countries last week. The UN has evacuated all personnel from Yemen on Saturday. However, the MEA spokesperson said the Indian embassy in Sana’a will not shut down “as long as any Indian nationals require assistance in Yemen.”

...

member_23370 · Post by **member_23370** » 31 Mar 2015 22:10

Got to love the graphics..the globmasters look like Mig-27's and ships like cruise liners.
About the Jalashwa ? Can they just use it to reverse engineer IN's new LPD's? That junk is too old anyway (45 yrs) and can fall apart anytime.

sudhan · Post by **sudhan** » 01 Apr 2015 11:23

I hope we get them all out safe!

The first batch has left Yemen

Click

<OT>

Bheeshma wrote: Got to love the graphics..the globmasters look like Mig-27's and ships like cruise liners.
About the Jalashwa ? Can they just use it to reverse engineer IN's new LPD's? That junk is too old anyway (45 yrs) and can fall apart anytime.

The graphic shows Tornadoes BTW, not MiG-27

And the Globemaster became Globebaster!

vardhank · Post by **vardhank** » 01 Apr 2015 12:39

Globe basters? The world is a big turkey, all ready for Christmas.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 01 Apr 2015 12:44

the Jalashwa does not have a through deck unlike most of todays LPDs. ie helicopter wing is not emphasized much in favour of LCAC/LST ops and few helis.

US is perhaps only country continuing to use it in the San antonio class. mostly its used for cheap rock bottom LPDs like the rotterdam class https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.6079865 ... d=15.1&P=0

our LPDs will likely follow the mistral class shape.

tushar_m · Post by **tushar_m** » 01 Apr 2015 15:25

10 developments in this story:

1 Amid bombing and fighting all around the port city of Aden, the rescue took place in total darkness, so much that "one hand had to feel for another" said sources.
2 The evacuees, including 101 women and 28 children, are being taken to the town of Djibouti - across the Red Sea on the horn of Africa - where the Indian Air Force's C-17s are waiting to fly them home.
3 The navy has released images of the rescued Indians on the helicopter deck of its ship INS Sumitra at the port city of Aden in Yemen.
4 There are around 4,000 Indians in Yemen. Nearly 750 have been rescued in the middle of Saudi air strikes aimed at forcing Houthi rebels to hand power back to President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.
5 400 were rescued on Monday with the help of a local craft as India waited for clearance to dock its ships in Aden. Soon after it got clearance, the INS Sumitra, which had been waiting outside the Aden harbor, sailed in.
6 Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh is in Djibouti to oversee the evacuation efforts. Five diplomats are also stationed there to help.
7 The evacuation, code named 'Operation Rahat', involves naval and air force craft, two passenger liners - Kavaratti and Coral - and two Air India aircraft.
8 The planes are waiting at Oman's Muscat, in absence of clearance to fly to Yemeni capital Sana'a.
9 On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud. The Saudi king assured him of full assistance in the safe evacuation of the stranded Indians.
10 Many countries, including Pakistan and China, have rushed their officials, aircraft and ships to evacuate their nationals.
Story First Published: April 01, 2015 09:16 IST

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 01 Apr 2015 15:50

tushar_m wrote:

What must be coming to stranded pravasis mind upon seeing tiranga fluttering proud upon your navy's ship!

Edit: OK I doubt it was the national flag but our ensign.

Another operational deployment for marcos.

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 01 Apr 2015 19:42

https://twitter.com/writetake/status/583217353481023488

tushar_m · Post by **tushar_m** » 02 Apr 2015 08:50

A Bad mouth minister should be sacked or not is prime-time news for almost every channel.

Meanwhile another minister gone to support the evacuation of fellow Indians from war-zone was not a prime-time news.

Is this how we are going to appreciate the efforts of our navy & MEA by not reporting it ??????

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 02 Apr 2015 10:33

so it looks like standard airline seats can be quickly fitted inside the C17 to provide a 1+5+1 seating....not ideal use for its volume but understandable and much better than having them sit on the floor.
in a real emergency people can sit in the two aisles as well to pack in 100 more.

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 02 Apr 2015 19:19

-deleted own post by mistake-

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 02 Apr 2015 19:33

Al Hodeidah Port as we speak. Military grade organisation in a dangerous place (safety cones, queues, water dispensers, chairs, containers arranged around the ship). Dont see panicky people jumping queues

Hats off to Navy.

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 03 Apr 2015 12:11

Sumitra at Al Hodeidah

Going thru various individual stories, one gets a sense that our efforts could have been more prompt. I also noticed that not a single person has thanked the armed forces for the operation in the interviews. Maybe nobody bothered printing... or nobody asked

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 789108.cms

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... ?prtpage=1

http://indianexpress.com/article/cities ... ilitary/2/

http://www.ndtv.com/blog/a-tamil-nadu-c ... men-751677

On Friday, when we approached the Indian embassy in Sana'a, they said that they were trying to evacuate all Indians and we had to constantly be in touch with their officials. But unofficially, we got information from our reliable sources/friends that some of our fellow Indians would travel with UN officials and some key employees of oil companies in Yemen in special aircraft. Again, we approached the Indian embassy and were told that since this was not an official evacuation measure organised by the Indian government, we would have to pay for our tickets. Ships were already said to have been sent from India, but we knew it would take them around five days to reach us and we felt we couldn't wait (nobody in their rightful minds would have chosen to) and decided to bear the expenses on our own and be flown to a nearby country. At 4 pm, we were told the Saudi Arabian government had not given the plane clearance to fly and we returned home.

On Saturday, we were asked to arrive to the airport in Sana'a and try our luck again. We managed to board a flight and were flown to Djibouti, a small country on the north-eastern coast of Africa. We paid for a visa on arrival to the country, flew via Istanbul and Mumbai back to Coimbatore on Air India and reached our home safely.

Op Raahat update as of 3rd April:

Total Rescued = 664 (Indians) + 11 (Foreigners)

First Batch ~31st March - 1st April
1 sortie by INS Sumitra: rescued 358 from Aden -> Djibouti
1 x C-17 Djibouti -> Mumbai with 190 evacuees (Wg Cdr Vikram Abbi 'co-pilot')
1 x C-17 Djibouti -> Kochi with 168 evacuees

Second Batch ~1st April - 2nd April
1 sortie by INS Sumitra: 306 rescued Indian nationals (38W, 17C, 251M) & 11 foreign nationals from Al Hodeidah -> Djibouti

Third batch ~4th April
Al Hodeidah

prahaar · Post by **prahaar** » 03 Apr 2015 12:23

Aditya G wrote: Op Raahat update as of 3rd April:

Total Rescued = 664 (Indians) + 11 (Foreigners)

First Batch ~31st March - 1st April
1 sortie by INS Sumitra: rescued 358 from Aden -> Djibouti
1 x C-17 Djibouti -> Mumbai with 190 evacuees (Wg Cdr Vikram Abbi 'co-pilot')
1 x C-17 Djibouti -> Kochi with 168 evacuees

Second Batch ~1st April - 2nd April
1 sortie by INS Sumitra: 306 rescued Indian nationals (38W, 17C, 251M) & 11 foreign nationals from Al Hodeidah -> Djibouti

Third batch ~4th April
Al Hodeidah

Any ETA for the passenger ships on the way for evacuation? These will bring the bulk of evacuees in a single trip. I guess the challenge might be in getting all the people in the right place for evacuation, otherwise increasing the C-17 sorties should be possible.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Apr 2015 12:30

the two passenger ships would need another 2 days steaming to reach the place...they have to cross the entire length of Yemen to reach Aden port.
the Delhi and P17 might reach the spot 1 day earlier if they have decided to leave the pax ships behind and reach faster.

something like the Jalashwa would have permitted lifting 3-4 times the 300 the Sumitra is forced to cram in on each trip. a big league LPD like Juan carlos for a short trip could likely take in 3000 folks in the hangar deck and under shamianas near the island, leaving an area in the back and front free for helicopters.

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 03 Apr 2015 12:39

prahaar wrote:..Any ETA for the passenger ships on the way for evacuation? These will bring the bulk of evacuees in a single trip. I guess the challenge might be in getting all the people in the right place for evacuation, otherwise increasing the C-17 sorties should be possible.

^

"Passenger liners Kavaratti and Coral will bring another set of Indians. However the date, time and port are yet to be finalised. A lot of coordination is being done to get in touch with each and every Indian stranded in Yemen and also to check till which city they can reach on they own," said an officer.

Nobody including Russia are able to land aircraft in Yemen at the moment.

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 03 Apr 2015 12:53

Singha wrote:...something like the Jalashwa would have permitted lifting 3-4 times the 300 the Sumitra is forced to cram in on each trip. a big league LPD like Juan carlos for a short trip could likely take in 3000 folks in the hangar deck and under shamianas near the island, leaving an area in the back and front free for helicopters.

Djibouti is 10 hours sailing time from Yemen. The issue with cramming people on ships is that you quickly run out of basic amenities like drinking water, food and lavatory facilities. Plus the deck will also get heated up in the summer months.

INS Viraat was tasked with amphibious role in Operation Jupiter (Evac from Sri Lanka). Captain Manvendra Singh (later Admiral) observed that for such a role you need a dedicated ship. Irrespective of LPH/LPD availability, involving passenger ships is a good idea. It will be a good idea for Navy to maintain couple of such ships for troop duty.

Wiki mentions these are troopships:

INS Nicobar (Troopship)
INS Andamans (Troopship)
INS Lakshadweep (Hospital Ship)

All MIA along with Jalashwa

.

srin · Post by **srin** » 03 Apr 2015 13:11

Jalashwa belongs to ENC, and even if it was at base (and not deployed on an exercise) it wouldn't be able to reach Yemen to make any difference.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Apr 2015 17:50

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32173811

The Chinese navy has evacuated 225 foreign nationals and almost 600 Chinese citizens from war-torn Yemen's southern port of Aden.

The evacuees were transported by naval frigates across the Red Sea to Djibouti, to take flights home.

China says it is the first time its military has gone to rescue foreign nationals from a danger zone.

.....

Ms Hua said China had acted at the request of "relevant countries". "It is also the first time the Chinese government has taken special action to help with the evacuation of foreign citizens in dangerous areas," AFP news agency quoted her as saying.

The BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing says it is only the second time that China has used warships to evacuate its own citizens from a conflict zone. In a much larger operation, it rescued more than 30,000 Chinese citizens from Libya in 2011.

Beijing says it is not abandoning Yemen and that its embassy in the capital Sanaa will remain open.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Apr 2015 17:53

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wor ... bal-power/

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Apr 2015 20:37

BEIJING (AP) — China dispatched a naval squadron to conduct anti-piracy patrols off the coast of Somalia on Friday after diverting other ships to help evacuate citizens from war-torn Yemen.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the three ships with their 800 sailors and a team of special forces soldiers left the eastern port of Zhoushan bound for the Gulf of Aden.

Since 2008, China has contributed ships to multinational anti-piracy patrols that escort commercial ships and respond to piracy threats.

Earlier this week, China dispatched three navy ships to rescue Chinese citizens and other foreign nationals from fighting in Yemen. They included 176 Pakistanis who were flown home after being evacuated to Djibouti on Thursday.

China first carried out such a mission in 2011, when one of its most sophisticated warships and military transport aircraft helped in the evacuation of about 35,000 Chinese citizens from Libya.

No Chinese have been reported killed or injured in the fighting in Yemen, which now threatens a potentially dangerous clash between U.S.-allied Arab states and Iran.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Apr 2015 20:38

looks like TSP is in no position to rescue its own citizens from its vantage point nearby.

sohamn · Post by **sohamn** » 03 Apr 2015 23:32

Apparently Indian Navy is evacuating indonesians and Srilankans as well. It is indeed a huge effort. Kudos to the navy and airforce. Unfortunately none of our stupid media seems to have picked up the story.

http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/98357 ... m-to-yemen

http://www.dawn.com/news/1173525/india- ... from-yemen

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 04 Apr 2015 23:21

Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh, who was overseeing the massive evacuation operation from Djibouti, had also gone to Sanaa, the largest Yemeni city from where Air India rescued Indians after getting permission to land. Singh has come back to Djibouti today.

INS Sumitra has been unable to rescue any Indian nationals from Al Mukalla port, which has been overrun by Al Qaeda terrorists

INS Mumbai reached Aden but was unable to berth due to fighting. They improvised and picked 439 people using RHIBs and hired boats it seems:

Op Raahat update as of 4th April:

Total Rescued = 1800 (Indians) + 11 (Foreigners)

First Batch ~31st March - 1st April
1 sortie by INS Sumitra: rescued 358 from Aden -> Djibouti
1 x C-17 Djibouti -> Mumbai with 190 evacuees (Wg Cdr Vikram Abbi 'co-pilot')
1 x C-17 Djibouti -> Kochi with 168 evacuees

Second Batch ~1st April - 2nd April
1 sortie by INS Sumitra: 306 rescued Indian nationals (38W, 17C, 251M) & 11 foreign nationals from Al Hodeidah -> Djibouti

Third batch ~3rd April
2 x A320s Sanaa -> Djibouti with 351 evacuees (all Indians)
1 x C-17 Djibouti -> Mumbai with 179 evacuees
1 x C-17 Djibouti -> Mumbai with 155 evacuees
1 x B777 Djibouti -> Kochi with 330 evacuees
Above flight brought back to India all rescued by Sumitra the previous night and those from Sanaa.

4th April
Another 800 rescued.
2 x A320 Sanaa -> Djibouti with 325 evacuees
INS Mumbai: 441 people from Aden (via RHIB/civilian ferry) 240M, 121F, 80C.

Aircraft Serial Numbers:
VT-PPU: Air India Airbus A321-211
C8-8009: IAF C-17

Edited: Corrected some figures

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 04 Apr 2015 23:31

Photos courtesey to Spokesperson MEA:

Precious cargo.INS Mumbai 2 sail frm Aden 2 Djibouti in pitch darkness with precious cargo of 439 evacuated frm Yemen

Shuttle diplomacy of a different kind.
Minister of State @Gen_VKSingh back in Djibouti after a day in Sana’a

Returning via Jeddah too. 35 Indians who had crossed over from Yemen to Gizan being assisted by Consulate in Jeddah.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/ ... 745793.ece

...

Moved by the plight of the Indians who have undergone great agony and faced threats to their lives, the navy ensured a comfortable stay for the evacuees.

Extensive arrangements were made by the ship's crew, even at the cost of their own comfort to ensure all evacuees were well looked after. The crew vacated their living quarters to accommodate the women, elderly and children.

Aiming to evacuate maximum numbers, males were put up on the upper deck under the cover of marquees. Though the ship's galley is equipped to cater to only 100, two-three cooks worked round the clock to provide hot meals for all evacuees, using the ship's rations.

As soon as the evacuees arrived on board, the ship's medical officers provided medicare to those in need, specially pregnant women and elderly people. Only an offshore patrol vessel engaged in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, INS Sumitra has exceeded its call of duty to provide relief to the stranded Indians in Yemen since March 31.....

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 05 Apr 2015 11:00

INS Mumbai Foreigners:

Sri Lanka 1,
Morrocco 1,
Syria 2,
Jordan 5,
Italy 1,
Romania 2,
Sweden 5,
USA 3
Hungary 4,
Yemen 93,
UK 24,
Russia 2,
France 8,
Egypt 19,
Nepal 1,
Canada 2,
Lebanon 3

Total- 176.

One Garud Cdo spotted

Syed Akbaruddin @MEAIndia · 3h 3 hours ago
Early morning in Djibouti. Planning for another evacuation effort underway with MoS @Gen_VKSingh chairing session.

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 05 Apr 2015 18:14

I'm super proud!!! We've come some way people. Remember, it's been only 60 odd years.

arshyam · Post by **arshyam** » 05 Apr 2015 18:25

Aditya G sir, could you please share the source for that list? I'd like to post it on Facebook.

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 05 Apr 2015 19:06

arshyam wrote:Aditya G sir, could you please share the source for that list? I'd like to post it on Facebook.

Sir it is spokesperson mod.

ravip · Post by **ravip** » 05 Apr 2015 19:22

JE Menon wrote:I'm super proud!!! We've come some way people. Remember, it's been only 60 odd years.

Your feeling is a fit answer to people who opposed acquiring C-17's and ridiculing it as sell out by UPA. These planes are important for strategic transport and are invaluable during war.

arshyam · Post by **arshyam** » 05 Apr 2015 20:04

Aditya G wrote:
arshyam wrote:Aditya G sir, could you please share the source for that list? I'd like to post it on Facebook.
Sir it is spokesperson mod.

Thanks: https://twitter.com/SpokespersonMoD

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 05 Apr 2015 20:08

I dont think the Globemasters have done a job that could not have been achieved by civvie Airbus/Boeings or IL-76s;

- None of the sorties exceeded 200 pax (~20 Tons)
- Did not land on short/rough airstrips
- Did not land in warzone so did not utilize fast climb capability
- All landings at sea level
- did not require air to air refueling
- nobody fired missiles on it

I am not disputing the strategic utility or technical parameters of these aircraft. Just that this operation is not a proof of the same.

If any weapon system was proven in the operation it was Saryu class OPV! Barely months post commissioning (and hence in warranty period), Sumitra was already running counter piracy ops when she was pulled into Yemen. Our sailors have done another fantastic job.

I am happy to see the strong response by GoI, though it seemed a touch delayed to me.

ravip wrote:
JE Menon wrote:I'm super proud!!! We've come some way people. Remember, it's been only 60 odd years.
Your feeling is a fit answer to people who opposed acquiring C-17's and ridiculing it as sell out by UPA. These planes are important for strategic transport and are invaluable during war.

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 05 Apr 2015 20:31

Op Raahat update as of 5th April:

Total Rescued = ~2500 - 3000

First Batch ~31st March - 1st April
1 sortie by INS Sumitra: rescued 358 from Aden -> Djibouti
1 x C-17 Djibouti -> Mumbai with 190 evacuees (Wg Cdr Vikram Abbi 'co-pilot')
1 x C-17 Djibouti -> Kochi with 168 evacuees

Second Batch ~1st April - 2nd April
1 sortie by INS Sumitra: 306 rescued Indian nationals (38W, 17C, 251M) & 11 foreign nationals from Al Hodeidah -> Djibouti

Third batch ~3rd April
2 x A320s Sanaa -> Djibouti with 351 evacuees (all Indians)
1 x C-17 Djibouti -> Mumbai with 179 evacuees
1 x C-17 Djibouti -> Mumbai with 155 evacuees
1 x B777 Djibouti -> Kochi with 330 evacuees
Above flight brought back to India all rescued by Sumitra the previous night and those from Sanaa.

4th April
Another 800 rescued.
2 x A320 Sanaa -> Djibouti with 325 evacuees
INS Mumbai: 441 people from Aden (via RHIB/civilian ferry) 240M, 121F, 80C.

5th April
1 sortie by INS Sumitra: 203 evacuated (182 Indians, 7 ROW) from Ash Shihr/ Al Mukallah to Djibouti
3 x AI sorties Sanaa to Djibouti(?) 488 total pax
1 x C-17 Djibouti(?) -> Mum 225 pax
1 x C-17 Djibouti(?) -> Mum 229 pax
1 x B777 Djibouti -> Kochi 352 pax

Aircraft Serial Numbers:
VT-PPU: Air India Airbus A321-211
C8-8009: IAF C-17

Sitanshu Kar @SpokespersonMoD · 3h 3 hours ago
#YemenEvacuation One C-17 aircraft of IAF with 225 evacuees on board left Djibouti at 1745 IST for Mumbai. ETA 2200hr